My safari wardrobe essentials

When I was planning my safari wardrobe I had visions of looking like Meryl Streep in Out of Africa – you know, all elegant in khaki and white.

But of course I hadn’t bargained for the fact that there would be a really strict luggage allowance on the light plane from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti. Not only do you have to take a soft shell case but the luggage allowance is a tiny 15kg (I know!). Now because I travel so much I’m probably one of the lightest packers I know, and wherever possible I always try to travel with cabin baggage only; but even I was panicking slightly at the thought of travelling with only 15kg of luggage – and that’s including mosquito repellent and suncream, of course (you can see my red suitcase next to the plane in the Serengeti in this photo – that’s how small my case is, and that’s how small the plane is!)

So I knew that I had to streamline my safari wardrobe and go for a few key items which I could then mix and match. I had a few cotton dresses for the evening already but I needed more practical things for the day. Also, during the day you’re supposed to avoid wearing black and blue because it attracts the tsetse fly, which if it bites you can give you sleeping sickness, so dressing for safari isn’t as straightforward as you might think.

I did some research and discovered that your best defence against mosquitoes is to wear long shirts and trousers when you’re on game drives; fortunately I had a nice crisp stone-coloured shirt, but I needed some chinos. Thankfully I found a great pair of Heritage chinos in stone at Fat Face (£40)…

…and in fact I ended up getting all my safari wardrobe essentials there because they had everything I needed. My absolute favourite item is this rather fab train driver hat (£14) – as you can see I’m wearing this in the landrover because of course you’re not *really* supposed to get out when you’re on a game drive because even if the bush looks clear a lion or hippo could suddenly appear from anywhere.

And this Callie waterfall cardigan (£40) was just brilliant for travelling – because I was taking three flights, I could just wrap myself in it whenever I felt a bit cold. Perfect. And I’m pleased to say I didn’t get bitten the whole time I was in Africa 🙂